KALABASH

August 19 @ 9:00 pm - 11:30 pm

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The rich Latin Jazz genre evolved as the result of a fusion of the folk and popular music traditions of the Spanish speaking Caribbean, particularly Cuba, with the great American jazz tradition. While not as well known to jazz enthusiasts, the same type of fusion has also been taking place in the French, English and Dutch Caribbean, with each cluster of islands adding its own particular rhythmic vibe, melodic flavors and tonal colours to the mix.

Kalabash is a contemporary jazz sextet based in Toronto, that focuses on using the steel drum as a lead voice in a jazz ensemble, while experimenting with the layering of rich jazz harmonies over the folk and popular rhythms of the Caribbean, from Reggae, Son and Salsa in the north, to Calypso, Soca, Rapso and Zouk from the Eastern Caribbean. With two CDs released so far, it is apparent that the result of this fusion is a scintillating blend of North America and the Caribbean, in a contemporary jazz fusion that has made Kalabash a hit with world music and jazz festival audiences.